Toddler Bed v.s. Twin

I am in the same boat as you. I have a 21 month old son and I am pregnant with my second due the end of March. My parents live in NH so when I go home to visit my son sleeps in a twin bed, he has been in it since he was about 18 months. He loves it.
With the next baby on the way I wanted to get him in a twin bed here at home as well. We just got it this week and it is going very well. Like you my son never even tried to get out of his crib. With the twin you will have him getting out of bed on his own because he can. That is what I am facing this week. The second he gets up I am right there and I put him back to bed and say goodnight. I keep repeating it till he stays in bed. I also have the bed rails so he wont fall out.

My son plays in his room even more now that he has a big boy bed. I have a step stoole for him at the foot of the bed so he can get in on his own. He thinks his new bed is a big toy. :)

I don't like toddler beds only because my son is very tall for his age so with it being the same size mattress as a crib he is just too tall. I also feel they are a waste of money. The twin will last you till they are in high school if you want, not just 2 years.

We went straight from the crib to a car bed with a twin mattress and my son loved it. You can also adjust it so that it is lower inside and he won't fall out. My son is now 11 and still loves it.

Our son went straight from the crib to a regular bed, we chose a queen mattress so that there was less chance of him falling out, but he has loved it!

My daughter was the same age as your son will be when my son was born. She loved her crib but I wanted her in a big girls bed. She wanted nothing to do with it so I didn't fight with her. My sister was coming for the summer to visit us and I put a twin bed in her room. After my sister left, one night I went to check on Steph and she was not in her crib. I begain to panic. I found her fast asleep in the twin bed. She has not been in a crib ever since. She is Now 13.

my daughter went straight from the crib to a twin sized bed with no troubles......she also wasn't trying to climb out......we decided it was time to go to a "big girl" bed.......she sleeps thru the night and doesn't fall off or anything......hope you have a smooth transition

My oldest daughter went straight from the crib to a twin size at about the same age your son will be. She transistioned very nicely. My youngest daughter went into a toddler bed only because our home isnt big enough for 2 twin beds, toys, and bookshelves in their room. She has also done very well with the change. Make it fun for him!!!! Take him to pick out the new set for his new bed. Both of daughters loved that. However, every once in awhile, they want a new one. Go figure.

Good Luck.

When my daughter was 2 I went from a crib to a toddler bed. The toddler bed lasted for 2 more years, and the crib mattress fit into it. My daughter is 4, and 2 weeks ago we bought her a twin bed, because she was getting too long for the toddler bed. The toddler bed I chose was white plastic, and I loved it because it didn't look like if she fell on it she would get hurt like all of the wooden framed ones. It also matched her white kitchen and toy box. And it was cheaper than wood ones, at only $40. And remember the sheet sets for it will be cheaper too; I don't know if money is an issue or not. I'm actually trying to sell mine now, I just don't want to throw it away.

I hope this helped!

Personally, I think that the toddler bed is the way to go.

Skipping straight to a twin *does* save you the aggravation of going through this again in another couple of years.

On the other hand, toddler beds are relatively inexpensive, you can use the same sheets etc as you do on the crib, they don't take up nearly as much room leaving more floor space for the kids to use as they will and toddler/crib mattresses are pee-proof, allowing that extra year or two for them to perfect their ability to sleep through the night without an accident.

Just my two-cents,

S.'s Husband, Scott

My two are 20 months apart, Evelyn 3y Jacob 2y. My husband, daughter, and I had slept together for 6 months in a tiny bed in a RV in our driveway because of hurricane damage to our home. My son was born and for the first three months he slept in a bassinet so we weren't rushing and my daughter didn't feel pressured. We bought a queen size bed for her with a canopy and a girly comforter. She loved it, I put one pillow on either side and she slept fine. Biggest thing: she stopped using the paci and potty trained in a week at the same time she started sleeping in her princess bed. I got really lucky with Evelyn. I won't be having any more kids so I'm just having fun spoiling Jacob!! The first 3 months are the hardest, now they are great friends and are easily entertained with each other and the same activities since they are so close in age. Good luck!

I was in the same situation you are in now. He was 20 months when we found out we were pregnant with our second son.

We had a full size guest bed that we decided to transition my son to, so it was big enough we hoped he wouldn't fall out. We took the frame off too so its just a box spring and mattress on the floor. We also put it in the corner of the room so he has walls on 2 sides. This just made us feel that he was safer.

Our original thought was to transition him slowly and have him just take naps on the full bed and keep him in the crib at night. But after 2 days worth of naps in the full bed, he just wanted to sleep there all the time even when we tried to put him in the crib he just kept saying "big bed". So we let him sleep there and has been in that bed ever since. And he had lots of practice sleeping there before his brother came, so I think you should start as soon as you can.

This also prevented us from having to spend any additional money as we already had the guest bed. We just put the guests on an air mattress for now. One day we'll get a queen bed for the guests -- then again maybe not, so they don't stay too long (lol!!)

So, I guess the point is that you will only have one crib and will need it fir the neww baby? I would use two if you can get one for free or very cheap. My son is almost 23 months old and he also does great in his crib. My parents pressure me about a toddler bed but I feel like, why fix something that isnt broken? I will wait until he tries to climb out because then it gets a little dangerous. If you have to use only one crib then I would start about 2-3 weeks before the baby comes and start adjusting him to a toddler bed. A mattress on the floor may be too easy for him to get out and walk around, not to mention bother the baby!!!!
I hope this helps a little!! Good luck!!

I love the toddler bed. First of all if your son is so young a toddler bed is good until five years I believe. It uses the same mattress as the crib which I think is a HUGE plus- it's the same smell and feel. We got a beautiful wood one online www.toddlerbeds.com and it has rails which made me feel very good. I should also mention that my son has always been very cautious and regular beds and their height made him nervous.

I too transitioned him to a toddler bed just before his baby sister was born. It also coincided with a move. He was 2 and a half years old. If you have time before the baby's here go ahead and get a toddler bed but leave the crib assembled. Let him try it out! Have fun with it because even if he is transitioned he might give you a hard time at bedtime when baby's here but remember it's mostly due to the new baby and not the new bed.

IMHO, keep him in the crib a bit longer if you can. Sleep is so critical and sometimes hard to come by with a newborn that having him adjust to a new bed and sibling might cause his great sleep habit to get out of whack. Do you plan on using a bassinet or cradle at first with your newborn? do you have a pack and play? I would stretch out the crib if you can. We used a toddler bed and used the crib mattress and sheets.
LaurieK
www.mymonavie.com/lauriek

While I don't have an experience like the other women on here, I say to toddler bed first. My twins were just over 2 when I put them in the toddler beds. Thankfully, I didn't have to buy new beds, their cribs were transition cribs. In April, I'm moving and I'm thinking about putting them in twins beds, just because they seem too big for toddler beds to me. My daughter is almost too tall for her bed....she seems to fall out of the bed alot. I figure with the twin bed, she'll sleep alot better. My son, he just likes to roll all over the bed, so with a twin bed, he'll have more room to roll. Please, I can get more things that are boy/girlish for them.

I don't have the rails up there on their beds. But I did go out and buy nap mats for them, even tho we have carpet. It helps cushion the blow and, they like to use them to build forts. Gotta love a kids imagination!

Hi there,
Just wanted to say that I think you should go with the toddler bed. It would use the same mattress as the crib and is not going to be too overwhelming for him (Twin Bed is bigger) The mattress is one he is used to and the transition should be a smooth one. Also, I would definitely make the transition before his baby sister is born. My two olderst are 22 months apart and even at that young age they do know jealousy. For 2 years your son had you to himself...now he has to share and it will be a difficult at times, especially as your son enters the terrible two's!!! Involve him in caring for the baby in such things as when you bathe her, give him a washcloth and let him wash her little toes and count her toes as he washes each one (teaching counting at the same time) If you are bottle feeding, let him hold her bottle for a few minutes at a time and let him help pat her back when it is time to "burp" her. This will create a special bond between them and help to eliminate the jealousy. My two oldest are now 21yrs (son) and 19yrs (daughter) and they are now two of the closest "kids" I have ever seen. One more thing, and very important, ask your family and friends to ask your son to show them "his" new baby sister...this goes back to the jealousy. My inlaws would come in and push my son aside to see the baby and that is how I came to include him in everything with his baby sister.
Good luck and best wishes to you,
Congratulations,
C.

My daughter is 6mts old and hated the crib so at 4mths old I bought her a toddler bed and put rails on it so she won't fall off the bed and she loves it .. It will not be hard for him at all .. Assure him that its time to go to a big boy bed and he'll love it .. I suggest a toddler bed for him. To help him out , let him pick out what bed he wants .. Walmart has some nice toddler beds for a great price. Good Luck !!

Hi A.,
Im new at this but I just want to say my daughter just turned two in August. She was in a crib until she was about 20-21 months. Then I put her in a toddler bed. She did climb out of her crib a few times. She slept ok in the crib but when I put her in the toddle bed, no on in the house slept a wink for months. She would get out of bed and go to her door and cry. I did keep her door open and put a gate in front of her door so she would not roam the house at night. Then for her second birthday, I took out the toddler bed and put a twin size daybed in her room with a rail on one side. Let me tell you, it was like flipping a switch. After the first night of her sleeping in a full bed, I had no problems with her at night. I dont know what it was. Maybe it was a security thing. I dont know. I just wanted to share that with you. ;)

My oldest daughter (4) transitioned from the crib into a twin bed at 18 months. We bought bedrails at Target that can flip up at night and down during the day (and they break down for travel too). We talked about a big girl bed and let her pick her new bedding. She has been in her twin bed since.

I would try to transition him as soon as possible. Let him get used to the bed and a new routine. This way when the baby arrives, you can explain that he is the "big boy" and that is why he is in the "big boy bed".

It's a tactic that worked for us. Good luck!!!